Jimmy remembers Nou Camp inauguration

Chris Boden

Clarets legend Jimmy Robson was back at Turf Moor last week to add to a remarkable collection of memorabilia from his playing days.

Already on show at the club in the Dr Iven Suite are his Football League Championship winners' medal from 1960, FA Cup runners-up medal from 1962 - in which he scored Burnley's goal, the 100th in a Wembley final - and mementos from two Charity Shield appearances for Burnley in 1960, and an FA Select XI the following year.

Also on display is his England Under 23 shirt from a 2-2 draw with West Germany in Bochum, in which he scored - his only appearance for England at any level.

The latest piece is a Barcelona ashtray, a souvenir of Burnley's appearance at the Nou Camp inauguration in September 1957, which he hadn't seen for almost 60 years, until recently when he visited his niece Kathleen Hewitt in Newcastle, who returned it to him.

The inauguration saw Burnley play a friendly game with Brazilian side Flamengo, after the hosts faced Warsaw.

Jimmy looked back on a fond memory: "We had just lost 7-0 at Nottingham Forest and 6-1 at Chelsea, where Jimmy Greaves scored a couple, and we flew to Barcelona to open the stadium.

"We played Flamengo at 4 p.m. local time and the heat didn't suit us at all. I think we lost 4-0.

"The stadium wasn't quite finished, but there were over 50,000 there, and we were looked after well.

"I've only been back once when I went to Spain on holiday, but it is nice to have played there with all the players that have played there since."